NBA Live 06

LeBron. Iverson. Shaq. T-Mac. Unlike the college game, the superstars of the NBA unquestionably dominate the action. NBA Live 06 replicates this with its new freestyle superstar moves, further cementing Live as an undeniably fun hoops franchise.

The freestyle superstar moves enable the league's best players to perform risky but incredible feats that can turn the tide of a game, just as they do in real life. For instance, playmakers like Steve Nash can zip no-look passes to get teammates an easy look. Sharpshooters like Kyle Corver can rain leaning threes from downtown. High flyers like cover athlete Dwayne Wade can perform Jordan-esque mid-air finishes, and so on. The freestyle superstardom even extends to the defensive end of the court, where the best defenders can make aggressive steal and block attempts.

It's all easily done by holding down a shift key and then pressing one of the four main gameplay buttons, each assigned to a different maneuver. The actions are immensely satisfying to pull off, so much so that we dare say it makes NBA Live 06 the most fun multiplayer sports game this year - there's no better feeling than posterizing your best buddy with a high-flying freestyle superstar jam.

In addition to these new moves, the overall flow of the game has been tuned for added (but still not quite authentic) realism, the post-up game is second to none, and the pro hop button has been balanced so that it’s no longer an "I win" button.